Expressions

Bylines with Pollachi Papyrus

Pollachi Papyrus is a Travel magazine that covers the beauty and resources of Pollachi and its neighbouring areas. Pollachi being a small town beside Coimbatore, is truly a scenic land with rich tradition and natural environment. It is such pleasure to write travel articles for the beautifully designed magazine. Travelling with the crew is awesome experience.

It was simply the best Indian snack corner I’ve been to. With a tummy bursting full, I thought I am not going to be able to eat a morsel more despite doing an hour long journey from Pollachi just to visit this snack place. Yet, I ate 12 Thattu Vadai Sets and Masala pori. Drank some Ilaneer Sherbet and packed some more to carry home. RGS Beeda Stall, is what they call their quaint old little shop.

Husband and wife start their business at around 4 p.m. at their Thallu Vandi (Shop on wheels that can be pushed around. However, this Bajji Kadai never moves. It hasn’t moved in 30 years from that place). The buzz begins right away.

“Why is that there is no name board for your shop?” I ask. Bajji Pandu says, the whole town knows him and his shop. He needs no board to announce his identity.

Bajji is a hot south indian snack made from frying different ingredient like Chilli, Raw Banana slices, onion etc dipped in gram flour mix. Bonda and vadai are also similar snacks. Bajji Pandu acquired his culinary skills from the real Pandu (his elder brother) by whose name he is known today.

Link to article on Pandu Bajji Kadai, as featured in Pollachi Papyrus:

My title is just a funny weird attempt to sound satirical and funny. Forgive me if it is a big fail!

We took a good ride to this place from the Pollachi Papyrus office and when the car stopped, honestly I kind of searched for the hotel. But the board clearly said, we have arrived at the TAJ biriyani hotel. I still wonder why Mr. Hyder Ali named his hotel Taj and regret not asking him.

While talking to him, I asked him to tell me about his hotel. “It is displayed on Google Maps,” he said with a proud tone and handed me his visiting card. Even the visiting card was proud about the hotel being located on Google Maps. :D.

His food is as innocent as him, with no Ajino-motto. His place is 18 years old and stands tall by taste.

He also said that Kollywood Actor Vikram is a good friend of him. The actor never misses to eat his Biryani when he visits Pollachi. Well, neither would I.

The link to the article about TAJ Biryani Hotel featured in Pollachi Papyrus:

When I got an opportunity to work with Pollachi Papyrus, I was more than happy. I knew the call would fetch me more than a writing experience, a travel experience. But what I did not know is that I would also gain the friendship of high-spirited young people, some real inspiration and lot of food!

We started on a food trip to local eateries in Pollachi. While I keep saying Pollachi – Pollachi again and again, I am being a little delirious. This place that is so close to Coimbatorians, our instant holiday avenue feels too familiar to us that I forget to address it to my readers who are not from Coimbatore, from the state of Tamil Nadu, from India.

So what is the best way to introduce Pollachi? Should I just say that it is a shooting venue for many film makers who have a village scene in mind? (scenes in movies like Guru, Roja, Bombay, Yuva/ Ayudha ezhuthu, Bharfi, Chennai Express, etc were shot in Pollachi). I can do that. But that would just belittle the magnificence of this beautiful town. I pause here, wondering if magnificence is the word. Why not? Everything about nature is magnificent in its own way. It is humble and magnificent. So is Pollachi. The town’s simple ways would make you feel the awe. It’s grandly scenic. The people are incredibly hospitable. That’s how I felt when I got to go around the place a bit and meet some people. I have not explored enough to give you the real picture of Pollachi. So I will redirect you to

thepapyrus.in (the official site of Pollachi Papyrus – a quarterly magazine which is also available as a paper back magazine in retail stores and for subscription)

The magazine passionately portrays the beauty of the town and its neighbouring areas.

Our food journey started on one December afternoon. As the article is going to be published as a series, I shall not reveal the places we have covered and may further cover. Let the magic unfurl when it is its turn. As of now, the magazine has featured Bajji Pandu shop and Taj Biriyani Hotel.

We visited seven eateries. They were not posh restaurants. But they had a signature on them by way of healthy-tasty food and history. Talking to the owners of the places, I could see that they all attached sentimental value to their business and saw it as something more than just a means of livelihood and money. Their business seemed to have a life and a relationship with them. The touching aspect being, all of them were content with what they had and wanted to serve with quality. Expansion was not their goal, but they all seemed to focus on keeping their identity alive. They identified themselves with the food they served, it’s taste, the hospitality and the place. They wanted to keep the reputation going no matter what.

The experience was vivid — eating in a shack with low roof and dim light, old shaky benches but awesome hot food.

— eating on the street sitting on the porch of a small house looking into a small street listening to vehicles, cycles, crows, street dogs and people who crowded the place for an evening snack like we did (I knew I had to interview and think about the place in terms of the write up I was assigned to work on, but when I ate hot bajji, the meaning of life seemed to steam up from it to my olfactory and that is it).

— eating from a …

Uhh Ohh.. No, I wont tell. Let us all wait for the next issue! 😉

There was this place on a road that had a lovely canopy of trees. The place was right under the canopy. They had a cool hand wash system. (Shhh I am going to tell you a secret, do not tell anyone before the write up gets published in the next issue! This place under the canopy of trees serves awesome fish curry! These Pollachi people who might come across this article are dangerous. They would so easily find out which place I am talking about if they knew a couple of clues. They all are so bound to their town like it is one large home. That is why, don’t mention about the fish to anyone else)

The two days, I ate so much, I couldn’t stop patting my tummy, encouraging to work harder in the process of digesting them all.

Look into the following posts, for the links that would lead you to the featured articles.